Anne Newman

Drinking Fountains and More

(Credit: Wikipedia)

This gorgeous little drinking fountain is one of the first modern fountains to be built. It was opened on 21 April 1859 which makes it 160 years old this April. It was originally located on Holborn Hill on the railings of the church of St Sepulchre-without-Newgate on Snow Hill, London and paid for by Samuel Gurney who was a banker, member of parliament and one of the founders of The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association which undertook to provide free drinking water to the people of England. The fountain was moved in 1867 when the Holborn Viaduct was built but reinstated in 1913 where it remains.

(Photo by Liszt Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

(Credit: huffingtonpost.com.au)

(Credit: Wikipedia)

(Credit: freephotooftheday.com)

(Credit: Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

(Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

(Credit: Garden Lovers Club)

(Credit: Garde Lovers Club)

And so, can we categorise a drinking fountain as a work of art? Even though it has to function within the purpose for which it was built so long as it harmonises with its surroundings and is an attractive structure with evidence of craftmanship from a mason, metal worker, carpenter I am happy to include them in the wide world of artistic structures.

The Metropolitan Free Drinking Fountain Association it changed its name to include cattle troughs in 1867, to also support animal welfare. In 2011, as the Drinking Fountain Association, it began to support the Find-a-Fountain campaign to map the UK's drinking water fountains.(Wikipedia)

Tomorrow we will look at some of the most glorious Water Fountains in the world- all of which are definitely works of art.